The last time I made Caldecott predictions, I went 2 for 5. Any time I can get more than one, I’m happy. But I refuse to stop until I am able to pick them all. You can therefore count on me doing Caldecott predictions every year. And if you’re into this stuff, you need to [...]

#20-16 | #15-11 | #10-6 | #5-1 5. The Farmer and the Clown by Marla Frazee [Beach Lane Books (Simon & Schuster) | Grades K-2] Click here for additional resources from Watch. Connect. Read. The opportunity to “read” and pore over a wordless picture book with a group of students is one of the best parts of [...]

#20-16 | #15-11 | #10-6 | #5-1 10. Sisters by Raina Telgemeier [Graphix (Scholastic) | Grades 3-6] Click here for additional resources from Watch. Connect. Read. Raina Telgemeier is to today’s middle school readers what Elvis was to teens in 1956. Her fans are loyal, passionate, and proud of the number of times they’ve read [...]

#20-16 | #15-11 | #10-6 | #5-1 15. Shh! We Have a Plan by Chris Haughton [Candlewick Press | Grades PreK-1] Click here for additional resources from Watch. Connect. Read. With its combination of suspense and broad humor, Shh! We Have a Plan plays like the best Chuck Jones Merrie Melodies cartoon that never happened. You can practically [...]

Around this time of the year, John Schumacher and I get all reflective. While it would be cool if we shined brightly when you pointed a flashlight at us, I don’t mean that kind of reflective. I mean we looked back on the year in children’s literature. We reflected with a purpose: over the next [...]

After a yearlong hiatus for John Schumacher and I (John was on the Newbery Committee, I was on Caldecott), we will again be sharing our Top 20 Books of the year. The countdown from #20 to #1 begins on Tuesday. Catch you later – I need to finish this logo.

Anyone who writes book reviews will tell you that every once in a while you feel like you just nailed it. You do the book justice, you provide insightful critique – it’s all working. Other times, however, you spend so much time trying to nail it that your time runs out. Since I slavishly adhere [...]

Time is running out to get gifts for the insufferable librarian in your life. With help from Etsy, the 2014 edition of the Librarian Lump of Coal Gift Guide has your back. Click here for the 2013 guide Click here for the 2012 guide Click here for the 2011 guide Click here for the 2010 guide [...]

It’s time to take a look back at the year that was in children’s lit miscellanea. (Read previous Year in Miscellanea Posts: 2013, 2012, 2011, 2010, 2009, 2008) Oddest Children’s Literature/Hip-Hop/Boxing Crossover 50 cent Will Donate $750,000 if Floyd Mayweather Reads One Page of Harry Potter Granted, there weren’t many contenders in this category. How did this story end? Well, [...]

Shooting at the Stars: the Christmas Truce of 1914 By John Hendrix ABRAMS ISBN: 9781419711756 $18.95 Grades 3-7 Out Now Find it at: Schuler Books | Your Library Wise are those who understand that picture books don’t just belong in the grips of the rug rats of the world. Wise, then, is John Hendrix. With [...]

I was working on my annual Caldecott predictions post (coming on the 19th) and I was reminded of something I’ve always wanted to look into – the number of Caldecott Medal winning books created by one person, rather than an author/illustrator team. It felt to me like the like the trend has been toward the [...]

There are lots of children’s book illustrators who sell their work online, but I’ve never seen a good place to browse a whole slew of them in one sitting (although this post over at Pink Me has a batch). Since I’m posting my annual Librarian Lump of Coal Gift Guide soon, I thought it would [...]

In November… …we previewed books coming soon. Picture books, middle grade, nonfiction, graphic novels – there was a little of everything in 10 to Note: Winter Preview 2015. …we learned that the New York Times Best Illustrated Children’s Books list is a pretty good predictor of Caldecott success. I went to the data in Breakdown: [...]

About 100 Scope Notes

Children's literature news, reviews and assorted school librarian oddities. Combine one part kid's books, one part school librarianship, a splash of absurdity and you get 100 Scope Notes.

Travis Jonker is an elementary school librarian in Michigan. He writes reviews (and the occasional article or two) for School Library Journal and is a member of the 2014 Caldecott committee. You can email Travis at scopenotes@gmail.com. He's also on...